Just wondering about whether the Giant TCR advance bikes stack up against similar bikes.I'm looking at a new TCR adv 2 or secondhand TCR advanced 0 (both 2012). I'm not a fan of the grey colour but am interested in the Di2.

It's hard to tell how well the frame and wheels compare to other brands particularly the wheels.

I'm bias I own a Giant 2011 tcr adv 1 (ultegra). I just purchased a 2013 adv 0. My suggestion would be to ride a few bikes, I kept coming back to the Giant.Then I saw the ride magazine test on the tcr adv 0 all that I felt about the ride seemed to be backed up by their testing.

The second tier Giant frame out performs nearly every other frame I can find in any of their other testing from all the mags I have. This translated into the comments from the testers one comparing it to other top end bikes remembering this is their 2nd tier frame. If you asked me I could have just told you so but I'm biased

the frames are identical only colour is different, both mine are actually the TCR2 red and white frames, i sold the silver frame to a mate as the red looks better i reckon but i didnt mind the silver either, the 5700 105 is good, but the DI2 shits all over it from a great height..

i use the TCR2 as a training bike to flog around on and it is perfect for that and bashing on rough roads etc..

if the $$ are not a problem go the TCR0, once you ride DI2 you wont go back to sloppy cables..

I had the Adv2 (2012) which still has the the 'good' wheels, the new Adv1 (2013) has not so good wheels.

My Adv2 was pinched so I have a 2013 Adv0 and it is fantastic - part of the shine has worn off because I am still not happy with my Adv2 bike being pinched! Both are super sweet rides, raced both and love them. The Di2 is a crisper gear change and I love how Di2 auto trims. I even heard that multi shift is here for Ultegra, but this might require some kind of software upgrade.

As for not liking the grey/silver colour on the street it actually looks great. Some people ahve posted pics with carbon wheels that look awesome. In hindsight I should of saved the $500 to $600 and gotten the 2012 silver/grey.

Regarding comparing with other brands, Giant are solid a reliable bikes - with the volume they produce they don't want to make mistakes - and also can provide good value and performance for money.The flipside is that the brand isn't very exciting, by all means a good reliable brand though without the character that Europeans and US brands have been able to create.

Ended up testing a Defy Advanced 2 (Ultegra)... was pretty impressed on a short ride, going back tomorrow with shoes and pedals for a decent ride. Also in nice black paint job TCR advanced 2 at the same price was out with someone else so might miss out on that, but have second dibs...Turns out LBS wins out over the net! And I was dissing the LBS in North QLD!!

Part of the difference I found was the compact chain ring/cassette combo, which seems to work better on the defy but that might change with proper gear on during a decent ride.They are happy to change the cassette for me, if I don't like.

Hi,I went for the local Giant Defy adv 2.... 2012 model. Very nice to ride, great handling. LBS let me take it for a day so I could do a decent test ride.Scott, I steered away from as I doubt the frame is much different to Giant's. Even if it was the Giant's would be good enough for me, a big improvement over my ten year old alloy bike.Am in Townsville and just getting back into cycling with a view to mulitsport if I can find whats wrong with my calves when running...

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